Research
Introduction: How to Think About Tech Regulation
Will Rinehart
If there were ever a year that changed the course of technology regulation, 2018 was it. In mid-March, the New York Times released a report detailing how the marketing firm Cambridge Analytica exploited Facebook’s consumers leading up to the 2016…
Research
What Policymakers Need to Know About “Soft Law”
Ryan Hagemann, Niskanen Center
Many grade schoolers’ first introduction to the law begins with Hammurabi, the Babylonian king renowned for his codification of the law in the Code of Hammurabi. The stele into which those legal tenets were carved was notably displayed in the…
Research
Preventing Privacy Policy From Becoming a Series of Unfortunate Events
Jennifer Huddleston, Mercatus Center
It seems that every day new headlines are calling our attention to the “growing problem” of data privacy. From the Equifax breach to a series of Facebook scandals to new laws in Europe and California, there seems to be a…
Research
New Antitrust Thinking Isn’t a Return to the Good Old Days
Ryan Radia, Lincoln Network
Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google, Microsoft. These are America’s five most valuable tech companies, and they have a public policy challenge in common: antitrust. When antitrust makes headlines, it’s often because one of these five companies is looking to buy a…
Research
New Technology, Same Principles: The Supreme Court and Tech
Ashley Baker, The Committee for Justice
During the confirmation hearings for then-Judge Neil Gorsuch, Senator and former Judiciary Committee Chairman Orin Hatch asks a question about interpreting constitutional provisions in the digital age. How, he asks, can a two-century old document apply to technologies that were…
Research
Understanding Calls for Regulating Artificial Intelligence
Will Rinehart
Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Mark Cuban, and the late Stephen Hawking have been among the most vocal luminaries calling for the regulation of artificial intelligence (A.I.), but they are hardly alone. Countless papers, conferences, and talks dedicated to algorithms and…
Research
A Framework for Increasing Competition and Diffusion in Artificial Intelligence
Caleb Watney, R Street Institute
Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) is developing rapidly, and countries from around the globe are beginning to articulate national strategies for handling the political ramifications. With A.I. powering innovations such as driverless cars, autonomous drones, full-sequence genetic analytics, and powerful voice-assistant technology,…
Multimedia
Approaches to Regulating Technology—From Privacy to A.I.
There is new energy and momentum to legislate on technology issues—particularly when it comes to privacy, competition, and artificial intelligence. Many states and even some cities have enacted or are considering net-neutrality and privacy regulations, while for its part, Congress is considering a range of possible actions on technology. But what problems should policymakers address, and how should they address them?
AAF convened two panels, the first on privacy and the second on the important threads between competition policy and AI, to discuss these important issues.
